Saturday, March 19, 2016

Whenever I make slow roast beef, apple is always a special ingredient. The sweetness of apple makes wonder to any dish. So when I started cooking stew, apple was one of the main ingredients. Apple and Beef stew is a comfort food for my family. It is so easy to make and always a hit with my picky husband and kids.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Buchi or Butsi is a deep-fried rice flour filled with sweetened bean paste. The original Filipino buchi are plain golden brown rice ball filled with mung (monggo) beans and fried plain without the sesame seeds. Fillings can either be kidney bean paste, purple yam, sweet potato or whatever you want. My recipe used red beans and sesame seeds are added for a distinct taste and crunch.

Filling ingredients:

1 cup red beans

2 cups of water

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

Soak red beans to water overnight.

In a sauce pan, add water and beans. Boil until beans are tender.

When cooked, remove excess water and mashed beans.

In a sauce pan, add the mashed beans and sugar together, mix well.

Cook in a medium heat, stirring constantly until the beans absorbed all the liquid from the sugar and dries up.

Remove from heat, let cool.

Shape the filling into small balls.

Cover and place in the fridge while you work on the dough.

Dough ingredients:

1 pack (16 ounce ) glutinous rice flour

1/2 cup of rice flour

2/3 cup potato flakes

2/3 cups of warm water

2 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 tsp of salt

3/4 cup of sugar

vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine glutinous rice flour, rice flour, salt, and baking powder.
2. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and water. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Add the potato flakes and stir to dissolve again. Add sugar according to desired sweetness.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and slowly pour in the sugar mixture.
4. Using a spoon or spatula, stir to combine and then use your hands to work on a dough. Add more water if needed until you get a soft consistency. Mixture should not be dry and crackly.
5. Once the dough is of the proper consistency, form into a ball and cover with clean towel to rest for 30 minutes.Cover with a damp towel so they don't dry out.
6. Work on the cooled filling by forming into small balls.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Churros are deep fried-dough pastry popular in Spain, Mexico and other Latin American countries. They can be sprinkled with granulated or powdered. Churros are eaten as a snack or for breakfast dipped in hot chocolate.

Ingredients:

3/4 c. all purpose flour

½ t. baking powder

1 c. water

Pinch of salt

1 T. brown sugar

1 egg yolk

Oil for deep frying

Powdered sugar for dusting

Procedure:

Sift flour and baking powder together. Set aside.

Bring water to a boil, add salt and brown sugar, stirring constantly until both have dissolved.

Remove from heat, add the flour mixture, and beat continuously until smooth.

Put in a bowl, mix with wooden spoon to cool a little bit.

Incorporate the egg yolk into the dough until smooth and glossy.

Spoon into a churro maker or piping bag with large star nozzle.

Pipe mixture into the hot oil. Use a knife to slice off 2-5 inches long.

Monday, January 18, 2016

Biko or rice cake is a Filipino delicacy made from glutinous rice (sweet rice), coconut milk, and brown sugar and topped with coconut curd (latik). Jackfruit or macapuno can be added for flavor. It is cooked differently in each regions of the Philippines. Here is my version of rice cake. I made it easier for everybody to follow, no fancy ingredients and no baking needed.

Ingredients:

2 cups glutinous rice

1 cup black rice (pirurutong)

4 cups coconut milk

1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

grated cheese for toppings

Instructions

Soak black rice in water overnight.

Wash black rice and glutinous rice together.

In a large sauce pan, bring coconut milk to a boil.

Add rice and salt.

Cook on medium heat until rice is tender and almost dry. Stir constantly to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Rice pudding is a creamy dessert made from rice, milk and other flavorings. Beaten eggs can be added after the rice is tender for added richness. Arborio and other short-grain rices make a thick and sticky pudding while the long grain rice will produce slightly drier and chewier pudding. Here is my version of rice pudding. I want mine thicker so I added glutinous rice.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white rice

1/4 cup glutinous/sweet rice

2 1/2 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup condensed milk

1/4 cup of raisins (optional)

ground cinnamon for dusting

Directions:

Soak raisins in water. Set Aside.

In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan combine rice, and water. Cook over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the rice absorbed all the water.

Add the milk, stirring constantly to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

When the rice is tender (al dente) remove and add the sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon.

Cook until the rice pudding thickens.

Remove from heat and add the raisins.

Serve while hot or cold into a serving bowl. Topped with some cinnamon powder.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Chicken afritada is another popular Filipino chicken stew with tomato sauce, carrots, potatoes and bell peppers as the main ingredients. It is cooked differently in each regions of the Philippines with some added ingredients are added for additional flavor. Here is my version of chicken afritada. Hope you'll try it.

Chicken Afritada Recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

1 large potato, cubed

1 large carrot, cubed

1 large bell pepper, sliced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

3 pieces tomato, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

4 tablespoons cooking oil

1 cup tomato sauce

2 tablespoon calamansi or lemon juice

1 cup water

1/2 cup green olives

1 piece kielbasa sausage, cut into small pieces

1 cup chicken broth or stock

2 pieces bay leaf (laurel)

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Direction:

Season chicken with salt pepper and calamansi juice. Refrigerate for 1 hour.